Islands of Space - John W. Campbell (pdf to ebook reader TXT) 📗

staring in utter astonishment to see the terrific strength the man displayed.

He smiled as he turned to them again.

“If he could do that at arm’s length,” Wade said thoughtfully, “what could he do if he really tried?”

“Why don’t you try and see?” Fuller asked sweetly.

“I can think of easier⁠—but probably no quicker⁠—ways of committing suicide,” Wade replied.

Arcot laughed and, looking at Torlos, projected the general meaning of the last remarks. Torlos joined them in the laugh.

“All my people are strong,” he thought. “I can not understand why you are not. That was a tool? We could not use it so; it is too weak.”

Wade and the others picked up the thought, and Wade laughed. “I suppose they use old I-beams to tie up their Christmas presents.”

Arcot held a moment of silent consultation with Torlos, then turned to the others. “We are supposed to follow these men to their city to have some kind of an audience with their ruler, according to Torlos. Let’s get started; the rest of the fleet is waiting.”

Arcot led Torlos through the main engine room, and was going into the main coil room when Torlos stopped him.

“Is this all your drive apparatus?” he thought.

“Yes, it is,” Arcot projected.

“It is smaller than the power equipment of a small private machine!” His thoughts radiated surprise. “How could you make so great a distance?”

“Power,” said Arcot. “Look!” He drew his molecular ray pistol. “This alone is powerful enough to destroy all your battle fleet without any danger on our part. And, despite your strength, you are helpless against me!”

Arcot touched a switch on his belt and vanished.

In amazement, Torlos reached out a hand to the spot where Arcot had stood. There was nothing there. Suddenly, he turned, touching the back of his head. Something had tugged at his hair!

He looked all around him and moved his arms around⁠—to no avail. There was nothing there.

Then, in the blink of an eye, Arcot was floating in the air before him. “What avails strength against air, Torlos?” he asked, smiling.

“For safety’s sake,” Torlos thought, “I want to be your friend!” He grinned widely.

Arcot led the way on into the control room, where Morey had already started to follow the great fleet toward the city.

“What are we going to do at the city?” Arcot asked Torlos telepathically.

“This is the capital of the world, Sator, and here is the commander-of-all-military-and-civil-forces. It is he you will see. He has been summoned,” Torlos replied carefully.

“We visited the third world of this system first,” Arcot told the alien, “and they repulsed us. We tried to be friendly, but they attacked us at once. In order to keep from being damaged, we had to destroy one of their city-protecting ray buildings.” This last thought was hard to transmit; Arcot had pictured mentally a scene in which the ray building was ripped out of the ground and hurled into the air.

In sudden anxiety and concern, Torlos stared into Arcot’s eyes. And in that look, Arcot read what even telepathy had hidden heretofore.

“Did you destroy the city?” asked Torlos anxiously. But it was not the question of a man hoping for the destruction of his enemies’ cities; Arcot got the mental picture of the city, but with it, he picked up the idea of “home”! Of course, the ideas of “city” and “home” might be synonymous with these people; they never seemed to leave their cities. But why this feeling of worry?

“No, we didn’t want to hurt them,” Arcot thought. “We destroyed the ray building only in self defense.”

“I understand.” Despite obvious mental efforts, Torlos positively radiated a feeling of relief!

“Are you at war with that world?” Arcot asked coolly.

“The two worlds have been at war for many generations,” Torlos said, then quickly changed the subject. “You will soon meet the leader of all the forces of Sator. He is all-powerful here. His word must be absolutely obeyed. It would be wise if you did not unnecessarily offend him. I see from what your mind tells me that you have great power, but there are many ships on Sator, more than Nansal can boast.

“Our commander, Horlan, is a military commander, but since every man is necessarily a soldier, he is a true ruler.”

“I understand,” Arcot thought. He turned to Morey and spoke in English, which Torlos could not understand. “Morey, we’re going to see the top man here. He rules the army, which runs everything. You and I will go, and leave Wade and Fuller behind as a rear guard. It may not be dangerous, but after being chased off one world, we ought to be as careful as possible.

“We’ll go fully armed, and we’ll stay in radio contact at all times. Watch yourselves; we don’t want them even to touch this ship until we know what kind of people they are.”

They had followed the Satorian ships toward the city. The giant magnetic ray barrier opened for them, and the Ancient Mariner followed. They were inside the alien city.

XVI

Below the Ancient Mariner, the great buildings of the alien city jutted up in the gray light of this gray world; their massiveness seemed only to accentuate the depressing light.

On the broad roofs, they saw hundreds of people coming out to watch them as they moved across the city. According to Torlos, they were the first friendly strangers they had ever seen. They had explored all the planets of this system without finding friendly life.

The buildings sloped up toward the center of the city, and the mass of the great central building loomed before them.

The fleet that was leading the Earth ship settled down to a wide courtyard that surrounded the building. Arcot dropped the Ancient Mariner down beside them. The men from Torlos’ ship formed into two squads as they came out of the airlocks and marched over to the great shining ship of Earth. They formed two neat rows, one on each side of the airlock.

“Come on, Morey,” said Arcot. “We’re